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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | How does this verse apply to today? | James 1:13 | Aixen7z4 | 145559 | ||
We may say that in some ways tempting and testing are opposites. Satan tempts people in order to entice them to sin’ to try to get them to sin. God tests us so that he and we can see what we are made of. The purpose of temptation is our downfall. The purpose of testing is to reassure us that we stand by faith, and to encourage us to continue. Satan tempted Eve (Genesis 3). God tested Abraham (Genesis 22). Satan tempted David (1 Chronicles 21) and God tested Job. We may see the hand of both God and Satan in these latter cases and note how God’s and Satan’s aims were different. Satan tempted Job to curse God to his face. God tested him so that he might come forth as gold. Satan tempts us to do evil (Matthew 4). God never tempts us to do evil (James 1). Satan promises us easy times if only we will serve him. God tests us by allowing us to go through tough times so we can know whether our faith is genuine (1 Peter 1). In some places, in some translations of the Bible, the words for tempting and testing may be used interchangeably, and we will need to examine the process and the results. We need to see from the context whether the initiator is God or Satan. Their intentions toward us are always quite different. Satan wants us to do evil and to fall. God wants us to stand and be strong. Therefore, in every circumstance, we must resist the devil and submit ourselves to God (James 4). |
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2 | How does this verse apply to today? | James 1:13 | DocTrinsograce | 145567 | ||
Dear Doctor Aixen, Thank you for a very solidly scriptural and practical explanation. In my profession I have worked in industries dealing with precious metals. In such industries they have specific laboratory methods to determine either the amounts of precious metal in a sample of material, or the purity of a quantity of precious metals. They use the term "assay" both as a noun and a verb. An assay declares unequivocally the nature of the sample. When the appropriate procedures are followed, no one questions the accuracy of the assay. I frequently get the impression from Scripture that God performs an assay (trial) in the same fashion. Although this does, indeed, demonstrate to the object of the trial what he is made of... however, it seems predominantly to be used to demonstrate to the world what God is doing or has done (i.e., His grace and mercy). For example, in the cases of Abraham and Job that you mentioned, God is glorified for what He has done. We miss the point if we think that there was some inate goodness in Job or Abraham. After all, God is always the main protagonist of the story of His redemptive history of man. In Him, Doc |
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3 | How does this verse apply to today? | James 1:13 | Aixen7z4 | 145584 | ||
Hello, Doc. I agree entirely that God is glorified in our trials, or can be. The fact that we are able to bear them is a tribute to him, and a measure of the grace we receive from him (2 Corinthians 12). Yet I wonder if he is glorified when we chafe at our trials, and complain. He says we should do all things without murmuring (Philippians 2) and therefore, I think that our complaining does not glorify him. Yet I note that Job complained, and so did David, and Jeremiah. It is perhaps in their complaining that we find the weight of their burdens and the soreness of their trials. But the Lord responds to Job with a question: “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” and he learned, and we can learn from that. We can learn from David to hope in God, and from Jeremiah that his mercies are new every morning. When God says, “Return to me and I will return to you” (Jeremiah 15) he seems to be saying again that his grace is sufficient. If we can look at these men and learn, then it may be you say, that others can look at us as well, and see that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. Like our good works (Matthew 5), our patient endurance of suffering may cause men to glorify God. And we glorify him ourselves. If any of us suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God because of it (1 Peter 4). In the end, our golden faith will bring him praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. But the trials we face are to test not our lives but our faith, and our hearts. They show how much genuine faith we have and they serve to strengthen it. God tests our hearts to see if we love him enough to obey him. And we are grateful for that. Indeed, we invite it. Like the Psalmist we say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. We love him with all our hearts, to the extent that we know our hearts, and if our trials reveal anything less, we pray, “More love, O Christ to thee”. We may even sing, in the words of Elizabeth Prentiss: Let sorrow do its work, come grief or pain; Sweet are Thy messengers, sweet their refrain, When they can sing with me: More love, O Christ, to Thee; More love to Thee, more love to Thee! |
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4 | How does this verse apply to today? | James 1:13 | Mommapbs | 145587 | ||
Great post Aixen7z4! Recently I have been engaged in a study about faith and I am convinced that our "trials" are God given opportunities for us to "test our faith" and in doing so, to please God - "for without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Heb 11:6). With this perspective on difficulties, we can "count it all joy when we encounter various trials" (James 1:2-4) When we choose to believe God; to trust Him through the circumstance, we please Him. Giving our our attention to God - His supremacy and His sufficiency - takes the focus off of self and the situation. Oh that we would learn to practice this - what rest and peace we would have in the midst of the storms of life. Blessings to you Nobel! t |
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